I did not take to flying: the development of wings has been an evolutionary process  which has taken its' jolly old time. But after over 5 years, 1600+ hours, an instrument rating, a commercial rating, tail wheel rating, a sea plane rating, ground instructor certificate, CFI and lots of help from other pilots, instructors and friends, my flight feathers are becoming fully developed, and I look forward to a long love affair with life above this earth.

This will be my fifth year flying the Air Race Classic; the first being in 2007. From the planning to the cross country trip out to Oklahoma City and through-out the race to Saint John and back home, I was pretty well hooked.  I liked the atmosphere, the excitement of the race, the planning and strategy, and the other ladies who were volunteers and competitors but became friends. 

My friends tell me I suffer from "terra-firma phobia" as I would much rather be scuba diving or flying. I have traveled over a large part of the world as a passenger but now it is my turn to be PIC. Since getting my license in May 2005, I have flown across the US several times. My "cross countries" are literally clear across the country. In 2006, we went from SW Florida to Las Vegas, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore.  The 2007 trip included an overflight of the Grand Canyon, a visit to a fellow racer in southern California, Yosemite National Park, the many air museums in northern Oregon, Seattle, Teton National Park and the Ozark region of Arkansas. We have also flown Wild Mama to Niagara Falls, Cancun, Mexico and to the Bahamas, not to mention the 2007 ARC from Oklahoma City to Saint John, NB, Canada. Flights in 2010 included a trip to Alaska and through Canada that found Wild Mama flying about 60 hours through Alaska, Canada and all the way across the US and back. All and all, I have landed at over 150 different airports throughout the US, Canada, Bahamas and Mexico. I have also participated 3 years in the Okie Derby proficiency race garnering 3rd and 7th place finishes and just added a 1st place finish in the Sunshine Derby. Most importantly, I fulfilled my husbands' wish of spending all the time he could in an airplane during the time he had left on this earth as he accompanied me on the vast majority of my journies and logged over 1000 hours in 3 years as my most prized passenger and #1 fan.


I have developed a real passion for flying and I especially enjoy sharing that passion with the next generation of aviators.  My 2010 aviations goals were completing aerobatic training, earning my CFI, attaining Master WINGS certification and organizing a successful Sunshine Derby with the Paradise Coast Chapter 99s where our team, Sunshine 2, won first place. Additionally, the dream of winning the Air Race Classic became a reality with the help of the 2010 team with Ellen Herr and Laura Ying Gao. That was a moment that I will forever cherish. I attended the ERAU Aviation Law Symposium in Orlando and the Lawyer-Pilots Association annual winter meeting in the Florida Keys in winter 2010. In the Spring semester of 2010, I taught 9th and 10th grade students at Charlotte High School - Introduction to Aerospace. What a thrill to see young people so enthused about aviation.

Aviation affiliations include the Ninety-Nine's, Paradise Coast Chapter, Women in Aviation Int'l, EAA, Lawyer-Pilots Association, Florida Bar - Aviation Law Committee, volunteer for Angel Flight, Director/Secretary for Air Race Classic, Inc.  and AOPA.